Home again

Ah, it is good to be home again.

We travelled to Vancouver Island last week to visit family and have an early summer holiday. We took the motorhome, which is indeed a marvellous way to travel with small children: everyone can sit at the table and have books and games, and meals or quick bathroom breaks can be addressed simply by pulling over to the side of the road. Of course, a motorhome is hardly the most fuel efficient of vehicles ... but with five of us travelling, there are at least some economies of scale that kick in, particularly when combined with the fact that upon arrival we were staying in an RV park anyway (my parents live in a beautiful Park Model trailer in a very nice park that has permanent and rental sites ... and a pool and a hot tub!).

It was great to see my mom and dad and to finally see where they live: their trailer is very spacious and beautifully set up, with a gorgeous deck that they've worked hard to build and decorate. There's a fountain and a fire pit, climbing roses and ivy on arbours, and the obligatory tomato plant in a hanging basket (yes, tomato plants will grow hanging out of the bottom of a bucket).

We also got to visit with my uncle, who is not well, and my aunt and my cousins. During one of our visits, we were surprised to meet some of the crew of the Coastal Messenger. My uncle has worked with the Coastal Missions team over the years, and The Boy has spent a good deal of time with some of these fine people during his trips to the Island, so it was very nice to meet them in person at last.


We did lots of fun things while we were on the Island: we saw the stunningly beautiful birds at the Pacific Northwest Raptors centre, met up with friends who are opening a new Serious Coffee outlet in Victoria, dug for polished stones at Mineral World in Sydney, visited the cows at Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, spent a day at the Parksville beaches, enjoyed the marine festival at the Ladysmith Marina, and went sea kyaking from Transfer Beach.

It was a good trip. With fuel prices on the rise and all the changes in the world that seem to be headed our way, we may not get to do something like this again, so that made it especially good. We enjoyed every day to the fullest ... but boy, it's good to be home. :)